Andersons Run-Mill Creek HUC-12 (05030103-08-03)

This Nonpoint Source Implementation Strategy (NPS-IS) plan provides an update to the Mill Creek Watershed Action Plan (WAP) completed by Mill Creek MetroParks and endorsed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) in 2007. The Mill Creek WAP was developed under the Ohio EPA’s former guidelines, Appendix 8: Guide to Developing Local Watershed Action Plans in Ohio. In late 2016, the Ohio EPA redeveloped their Nonpoint Source Pollution Program’s watershed plan program to ensure plans meet the U.S EPA’s 9-essential elements as described in the U.S. EPA’s Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect our Waters. Further changes were made to align plans with Ohio’s Nonpoint Source Management Plan Update (FY2014 to FY2018). This plan is being created to guide the region in addressing nonpoint source pollution issues for the Andersons Run-Mill Creek HUC-12, rather than a watershed plan for all issues in the Mill Creek watershed. State and Federal nonpoint source funding is now closely tied to strategic implementation-based planning that meets U.S. EPA’s nine minimum elements of a watershed plan for impaired waters.

Mill Creek is a major tributary of the Mahoning River and drains approximately 78 square miles. The Mahoning River watershed drains approximately 1,132 square miles and drops in elevation from its headwaters at 1,204 feet, to an elevation of 761 feet at its confluence with the Shenango River near New Castle in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. The two rivers join and become the Beaver River which flows into the Ohio River. The Ohio River eventually flows into the Gulf of Mexico via its confluence with the Mississippi River.

The Mill Creek watershed begins in Columbiana County, Ohio and extends north through Mahoning County, Ohio. The watershed makes up just under 7% of the entire Mahoning River watershed. It contains a mix of rural, agricultural, urban and industrial areas as it flows through the City of Columbiana, Beaver Township, Boardman Township and the City of Youngstown before joining the Mahoning River. Portions of Green, Canfield and Austintown Townships and the southeast portion of the City of Canfield are included in the Mill Creek watershed. The Mill Creek watershed divided into three HUC-12 watersheds and includes Headwaters-Mill Creek (050301030801), Indian Run (050301030802), and Andersons Run-Mill Creek (050301030803). The Andersons Run-Mill Creek HUC-12 is the northern most HUC-12 within Mill Creek watershed. This watershed is located downstream of where the Indian Run and Headwaters-Mill Creek HUC-12’s converge, and includes Mill Creek MetroParks and Mill Creek’s confluence with the Mahoning River.

Named streams in the Andersons Run-Mill Creek HUC-12 include Mill Creek, Andersons Run, Ax Factory Run, Bears Den Run, and Cranberry Run. Three manmade lakes are along the main stem of Mill Creek in the HUC-12 and include (from south to north) Lake Newport, Lake Cohasset, and Lake Glacier. Additional manmade lakes are found elsewhere in the HUC-12 and include Woodside Lake (Ax Factory Run), and Fox Lake (Andersons Run). The HUC-12 contains a mix of undeveloped, urbanized, and agricultural land uses, and per Ohio’s water quality standards is in both non-attainment and partial attainment

History of Mill Creek

The waters of Mill Creek originate from a ground water spring located on a farm in Columbiana County. An excerpt from Charles Burleigh Galbreath’s book , “Mill Creek Park and the Source of Mill Creek”, announced “A spring on the William Cope farm about three miles south of Columbiana, will receive waters from the melting snows of Mount Rainier, the Suwanee River, the Pacific Ocean, Indian River and Crater Lake, next Saturday, in token of the spring being the source of Mill Creek -- which in its course to the Mahoning River runs through one of the most beautiful scenic parks in America” (175). The farmstead spring would later go on to be dedicated on October 7th, 1933 as the place where Mill Creek begins (178).

The Mill Creek watershed, specifically the Andersons Run-Mill Creek HUC-12, is home to the first park district in Ohio, Mill Creek Park (est. 1891). Thanks to aggressive land acquisitions by Mr. Volney Rogers, the “Father of Mill Creek Park” (Galbreath 173), the HUC-12 contains many natural and historical features (i.e. waterfalls, gorges, mills furnace remnants) and structures indicative of the region’s industrial past. The waters of Mill Creek within the park’s boundaries powered grist mills, sawmills, grinding mills, carding and woolen mills, and was home to the first blast furnace in Youngstown. Many of the structures housing the mills and/or furnace operations still exist in the park and are used for educational purposes and special gatherings.

Public participation and involvement is a critical component of any planning process and should include not only the general public but diverse stakeholders such as local officials, businesses, academia, non-profit groups, and other agencies and organizations. Eastgate is well-positioned to continuously engage these diverse stakeholders through their Citizens Advisory Board (CAB), a public forum for participation in regional planning and decision-making processes as well as their Mahoning River Corridor Initiative (MRCI) a committee composed of eleven members that represent the communities along the Mahoning River, including the mayors of those communities. In addition, Eastgate engaged the Friends of the Mahoning River (FOMR), a local non-profit watershed group who has advocated for the stewardship and restoration of the Mahoning River since 2012, for their input on the nine-element planning process.

On November 12, 2019, CT met with ABC and Eastgate to gather information. Input was requested on impaired stream reaches (hard-armored banks that are failing, excessive stream erosion, and other erosion); areas for improved management of stormwater/flooding, areas to protect for public greenspace and recreation, and areas to protect and restore wildlife habitat.

Communities within the watershed, agencies, and partners such as the Mahoning County Soil and Water Conservation District were invited by email, letter, and phone calls to a kickoff meeting on December 18, 2019 at Boardman Township Administration Building. Participants were asked to participate in reaching consensus on the critical areas as well as the goals and objectives, projects, and implementation strategies for each critical area. A press release was also issued inviting the public. Eastgate posted notices on their webpage and made enouncements at their public meetings.

Glacial deposits in the HUC12 originated as tills from the Pleistocene-epoch age. Till is “generally impermeable mixture of clay and stones, usually compacted into a hard mixture called hardpan” (ODNR, Water Inventory 36). Glacial outwash, consisting of sand, silt and gravel, is present in the upper reaches of the Mill Creek Watershed and is covered by till. West of Mill Creek, from Anderson's Run to the Mahoning River, is a fairly deep Pre-Pleistocene- or Early Pleistocene-age buried valley. This valley is part of drainage system that flowed southward from Lake Erie. The valley reaches depths greater than 75 feet south of Anderson's Run. A tributary to this buried valley runs northward under Lake Newport and then disappears in outcrop on the north end of Lake Newport. This buried valley system is very complex because Mill Creek had down cut deep enough to intersect the valley at several locations from Lake Cohasset to the Mahoning River. Many ravines within the Mill Creek watershed, such as those along Indian Run in Canfield Township; and the Mill Creek Gorge, Mill Creek mainstem in Youngstown are a result of this deep cutting action. 

Bedrock underlying the Mill Creek Watershed are mainly of Pennsylvania series siltstone and shales of the Pottsville and Allegheny formations, but transitions into the Mississippian series jut upstream its confluence with the Mahoning River. Rock formations are broken down into the Allegheny formation and Pottsville formation (Pennsylvanian), and Cuyahoga (Mississippian) formation. Base materials of the Pennsylvanian formations include alternating layers of sandstone, shale, clay, coal and limestone wth the massive the Connoquenessing sandstone (Pottsville) in Mill Creek Park. The Connoquenessing sandstone can be massive and cross-bedded to shaley and thin-bedded (40) with variable thickness ranging from 20 ft. to more than 100 ft; Mill Creek Park contains 81 ft of this sandstone exposed. The Cuyahoga formation contains alternating layers of shale and sandstone, with sandstone being thicker and more massive in the upper part.

Aquifers in the HUC-12 are the Sandstone Aquifers which include Sharon sandstone and Homewood sandstone within the Pennsylvanian series and Shaprsville sandstone of the Missippian series. These aquifer locations yield anywhere from less than 5 gpm to 100 gpm in areas adjacent to Lake Newport/Mill Creek MetroParks boundary. Andersons Run, the mainstem of Mill Creek, Cranberry Run and unnamed tributaries within the HUC-12 are also located in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated Areas of Minimal Flood Hazard.

Prominent soils in the Andersons Run- Mill Creek HUC-12 are Chili, Mahoning-Ellsworth, Remsen-Geeburg, and Wooster-Ravenna-Frenchtown-Chili-Canfield.  The HUC’s soils are characterized as well drained to poorly draining with rapid (Chili associations) to slow permeability. The soils include high winter and spring water tables, making the soils poorly suited for agricultural use unless tile, ditches or other surface/subsurface drainage systems are installed. These soils pose a hazard for disposing of septic tank effluent on fields. Geeburg association soils have high shrink-swell potential, posing a hazard to foundations. See Table 1 below for a breakdown of soil types within the Anderson-Run Mill Creek HUC-12 watershed.

The major geologic types in the HUC-12 are the Pennsylvanian-age Allegheny and Pottsville Groups and sandstone and shales of the Mississippian-age’s Cuyahoga formation. The Mississippian series is located along the mainstem of the Mahoning River and upstream of Mill Creek’s confluence with the Mahoning. Aquifers in the HUC-12 include Alliance Outwash/Kame, Alliance Thin Upland, Mahoning Alluvial, and Mahoning Buried Valley. These aquifers are predominantly tills, sand, and gravel from the Sharon through Massillon Formations, Connoquenessing sandstone and Sharpsville sandstone. The location of the highest yield (25-100gpm) in the HUC-12 is in the Mahoning Buried Valley along Andersons Run and its tributaries. 

The Köppen-Geiger climate classification in the Mahoning River watershed is known as warm summer continental, typified by average temperatures in the warmest months below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, with summer high temperatures between 70-82 degrees Fahrenheit during the day (Kottek et. al, 2006). Average temperatures during the coldest months are typically below 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Average temperatures for the year in the Mahoning River watershed are approximately 49.5 degrees Fahrenheit, with July being the warmest month (average 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and January being the coldest month (average 26.6 degrees Fahrenheit). On average, there are approximately 143.5 days of precipitation in the watershed, with the most precipitation occurring in December with 13.9 days and the least in August with 9.3 days. The month with the most snowfall is January, with an average of 11.8 inches of snow.

Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species

ODNR’s Division of Wildlife catalogs known rare, threatened, and endangered species in its Natural Heritage Database Program. The Natural Heritage Database relies on information supplied by many individuals and organizations, and a lack of records for any area is not a statement that rare species or unique features are absent. The table on the following page lists known species identified in Mahoning County that have the potential to be present in the Andersons Run-Mill Creek HUC-12. The following table lists those species found within Mahoning County. The 2007 Mill Creek Watershed Action Plan provided a comprehensive list of bird species specific to the Mill Creek Watershed courtesy of Audubon Society member, Nancy Brundage. This list can be found starting on page 34 of The 2007 Mill Creek Watershed Action Plan using the following link,  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6TnfDGn8ludQWpweVFvY0k3dG8/edit .

A cross reference with ODNR’s list of “Wildlife that are Considered to be Endangered, Threatened, Species of Concern, Special Interest, Extirpated, or Extinct in Ohio” was performed to determine Endangered, Threatened, or Species of Concern. The following section details the findings and a letter next to the scientific name indicates if the species is one of Concern (C), Threatened (T), or Endangered (E).

Land Use

Land use in the Andersons Run–Mill Creek HUC-12 consists of single, two or three family residential lots, multi-family residential lots, business, heavy industrial, light industrial, institutional, agriculture, recreation/open space, and unclassified “other” category. The northern half of the watershed is characterized by densely populated urban and suburban areas, mostly devoted to residential use, with much smaller areas of commercial land use. The southern portion of the watershed is more rural, with a mixture of agriculture, low density residential use, and forest. Other areas of interest include:

• Mill Creek MetroParks’ Newport Wetlands (6.12 acres);

• Mill Creek MetroParks’ Golf Course (~ 250 acres); and

• Tippecanoe Country Club (~160 acres)

A Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis using the NLCD’s Impervious Cover Dataset estimates that 15,461 acres or 89% of the Andersons Run HUC-12 is impervious cover, which covers all the areas surrounding the Mill Creek Park. The effects of impervious cover on water quality will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 3 of this NPS-IS.

HSTS and NPDES Discharges

Data obtained from Eastgate shows approximately 128 home sewage treatment systems (HSTS) in the Andersons Run HUC-12, with the majority clustered in Canfield Township. Most residential dwellings and commercial establishments in the City of Youngstown are serviced by sanitary sewer infrastructure. However, the city found several dwellings with HSTSs and is in the process of identifying and mapping additional dwellings. Although not identified as a water quality impairment in the Andersons Run HUC-12, failing septic discharge and HSTS maintenance and repair should be prioritized in locations where connection to a sewer line is not planned or feasible or nuisance complaints are issued. 

 One individual Nonpoint Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit holder discharges into the Andersons Run HUC-12 and is not considered a major discharger, greater than 1 million gallon per day (MGD) flow. The minor permit holder is listed below, along with the receiving stream.

Stormwater Management and Regulation

Stormwater can be one of the most significant and difficult nonpoint source pollutants to address within a watershed. Stormwater is problematic because any substance such as chemicals, nutrients, sediment, and other debris is carried into the storm sewer system and discharged, untreated, into surrounding waterbodies. This has subsequent effects on drinking water, recreational activities, and industries that rely on clean water. The main sources of stormwater runoff come from urban, suburban, and agricultural activities; with each source effecting water quality in a variety of ways. Most municipalities and townships in the Andersons Run-Mill Creek HUC-12 are part of the regulated Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program.  Each regulated MS4 is required to develop and implement a stormwater management program to reduce the contamination of stormwater runoff and prohibit illicit discharges. Canfield Township, Austintown Township and Boardman Township are all regulated as Phase II communities under the MS4 program with the Ohio EPA. The Mahoning County Engineer’s office holds a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Phase II communities, including those in the HUC 12, to implement their storm water management plans with Mahoning County as the lead. Information about the county’s storm water management programs can be found at:  https://www.mahoningcountyoh.gov/201/Storm-Water-Management .

A joint effort to approach storm water quality and quantity from a watershed perspective was established between Austintown, Boardman and Canfield townships and is formally named the ABC Water and Stormwater District. Boardman and Canfield townships charge a storm water utility fee based on Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs). Austintown Township is the only member of the ABC Water District not implementing the utility fee at this time. The utility fee calculation assigns a rate for residential properties based on estimated impervious surfaces and a value for commercial and industrial properties as determined by the district. The fees collected are used to pay for the repair, replacement, planning, improvement, operation, regulation, administration and maintenance. More information on the ABC Water District can be found at:  https://www.abcwaterdistrict.com .

The City of Youngstown, in accordance with a 2002 Consent Order decree form the U.S. EPA, developed their Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) to address eliminating CSO’s. The LTCP was approved on January 6, 2015 and established a 30-year phased schedule for the city to comply with its NPDES permit, the Clean Water Act (CWA), and Chapter 6111 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). Phase I of the plan consists of upgrading the Youngstown Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) from an average design flow of 35 MGD to 80MGD in order to accept additional flow, construction of a new 100 MGD wet weather treatment facility and elimination of the CSO’s that drain into Mill Creek. Phase II will provide additional storage for four identified CSOs in the system and investigate the incorporation of green infrastructure for stormwater runoff.

Andersons Run HUC-12 Dams

Nine low head dams exit within various streams of the Andersons Run HUC-12. Four of the nine dams are owned by the Mill Creek MetroParks and impound the mainstem of Mill Creek. These dams were built as early as 1897 to provide recreational opportunities such as boating and fishing and include (from north to south) Lake Newport (1924), Lake Cohasset (1897), and Lake Glacier (1906). Other dams in the HUC-12 are privately owned and located outside the parks’ boundaries. A listing of the dams and impoundments within the HUC-12 is included below.

IBI sampling along Mill Creek’s mainstem in 1994 returned an average IBI score of 19.2, indicative of waters not meeting their WWH attainment for aquatic life use. It is important to note the Boardman Wastewater Treatment Plant is located upstream RM 7.7 but outside the Andersons Run HUC-12. However, the 1994 survey notes the effects of the WWTP, in the form of sewage sludge deposits, affected the fish communities immediately downstream and within the Andersons Run HUC 12. Ohio EPA notes in their 1996 report, Biological and Water Quality of the Mahoning River Basin, “WWH aquatic life use attainment status of Mill Creek has not significantly changed since 1982 (Table 1). While there have been incremental improvements in macroinvertebrate community performance immediately downstream from the Boardman WWTP and marked improvements further downstream, the non-attainment status is due to the continuation of poor and very poor fish community performance” (35). Sewage sludge deposits covering natural substrate and an increase in oxygen demand combined with exceedances and violations of ammonia-N and D.O. criteria immediately downstream of the WWTP produced the poor fish community. Fish communities continued to feel the effects of the sludge as far downstream in Mill Creek as Cohasset Lake (RM 1.9). Fish sampling results at RM 7.7 were dominated by highly pollutant tolerant fish (i.e. common carp). Slight fish improvements into the fair category were noticed near Lake Glacier (RM 0.8-0.3). IBI values for Bears Den Run and Andersons Run in 1994 represented poor quality fish communities, with Bears Den Run containing the least diverse community with only one fish species (creek chubs). Andersons Run was dominated by creek chubs and green sunfish (195).

 The Ohio EPA’s 2013 survey included locations within the general stream reaches of the 1994 survey locations. IBI scores improved slightly (average increase of 5) over the span of 19 years. The largest IBI score increase was recorded at Andersons Run RM 0.17 from 20 in 1994 to 34 in 2013. It should be noted the fish communities improved slightly at Mill Creek RM 6.99, with a small presence of Johnny and Rainbow darters (Ohio EPA, 2018 Study 101). This improvement can be attributed to previous improvements/upgrades at the Boardman WWTP, but pollutant tolerant fish species (i.e. common carp, yellow bullhead, and bluntnose minnow) still dominate the communities in the HUC-12. The abundance of carp in Mill Creek, especially within the impounded sections, thrive because of pooled conditions and the sediment within the lakes. This pooled and sediment laden habitat are avoided by native fish, thus providing an advantage to the carp over native fish.

Ohio EPA’s1996 report noted ICI scores dropped significantly downstream the Boardman WWTP at RM 7.8, where the ICI scores were the lowest. The effects of the WWTP effluent could be seen in the density of pollutant tolerant taxa collected (oligochaetes, Dicrotendipes simpsoni, Polypedilum (P.) fallax group, and Polypedilum (P.) illinoense ) (181). Macroinvertebrate scores began to recover from the effect of the WWTP sludge at RM 5.4 and showed significant improvement in the lower reach of Mill Creek, at RM 2.6, where ICI scores rebound from 0 in 1983 to 40 in 1994. ICI scores continued improvement downstream of the Boardman WWTP, as recorded in their scores of fair to good (RMs 5.4, 2.7, 1.6 respectively). Good ICI scores were noted at RM 2.7 and RM 1.6 with higher quantities of macroinvertebrates from the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) taxa such as mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies. Tributaries to Mill Creek (Ax Factory, Bears Den Run, and Andersons Run) averaged an ICI score of 34.4, maintaining a fair ICI and attaining WWH ecoregion criteria (181).

The Ohio EPA’s 2013 survey sampled macroinvertebrates at three sites in the mainstem of Mill Creek (RM 7.0, RM 2.59, and RM 1.07) that were not sampled in 1994. Mill Creek at RM 7.0 is downstream of the Boardman WWTP and the1994’s sampling point, Mill Creek at RM 7.7. ICI scores jumped from 12 in 1994 to an ICI of 42 in 2013 with hydropsychid caddisflies, baetid mayflies, amphipods, and damselflies dominating the reach. Previous improvements to the Boardman WWTP helped play a role in the ICI increase. As Mill Creek traversed through Mill Creek Park, the remaining two sites (RMs 2.59 and 1.07) saw ICI scores decline from their 1994 scores, with RM 2.59 seeing the more noticeable decline from a 40 in1994 to 30 in 2013. This location’s ICI score influenced by upstream CSOs. Qualitative EPT taxa increased from 5 and 6 (1994) to 10 and 16 in 2013. The 2018 Ohio EPA report clarifies, “despite disturbances to benthic community composition, the diversity of one or more of the more important indicator groups has improved through time” (119). This improvement is seen in each of the Mill Creek reaches where caddisflies and/or mayflies were found in all the Mill Creek reaches.  

The ICI score for Andersons Run (RM 0.17) received a marginally good evaluation, an improvement from the 1994 survey where it received a fair score. The quality of EPT taxa climbed from 6 in 1994 to 10 in 2013, even though midges and isopods were predominant. Silt and lack of fast currents and moderate to heavy sediment/ silt loads embedded the coarse substrate and riffle substrate in Andersons Run making it difficult for EPT taxa to live and thrive. Cranberry Run’s ICI score was considered fair due to the predominance of pollutant tolerant isopods and amphipods. Although most habitat criterion (coarse substrate, good/excellent development, fast current, and low/normal overall embeddedness) existed for EPT taxa to thrive in Cranberry Run’s environment, urban storm water with its flashy hydrology caused heavy/moderate silt cover, stream channel widening, and stream bank erosion to occur. 

As it was described in Ohio EPA’s 1996 report, Mill Creek upstream and downstream of RM 6.9 is a low gradient stream with forested riparian corridors and protection from encroachment afforded by the park (166). The QHEI score at Mill Creek RM 6.9 was 44.8, the lowest score in the Andersons Run HUC-12. Mill Creek at RM 6.9 is in a stream reach sampled in 1994 where QHEI scores increased by 22 from RM 7.7 (QHEI=38.5) to RM 6.2 (QHEI=60.5). Moderate Modified Warmwater Habitat (MWH) attributes from the 1994 survey continued into the 2013 study. The MWH attributes at RM 6.9 included many of the same attributes from 1994:

•          Recovering channel;

•          Heavy/moderate silt cover;

•          Fair/poor development;

•          Low sinuosity;

•          No fast current;

•          High/moderate overall embeddedness; and                         

•          High/moderate riffle embeddedness.

Tributaries surveyed in1994 had higher QHEI scores than the mainstem, ranging from 63.5 to 69.5. The four tributaries contained free flowing reaches with developed pools, riffles, and runs. In addition, Bears Den and Ax Factory Run, both high gradient streams, contained coarser substrates dominated by boulders, cobble, and gravel. Andersons Run contained finer substrates such as fine gravel, sand and silt.

Since the 1994 survey, Mill Creek increased the number of WWH attributes and eliminated all the MWH attributes from 1994 (lack of fast currents and fair/poor development and embeddedness). The above table details the QHEI scores and subcomponent attributes for each sampling location. With the exception of Mill Creek at RM 6.99, each 2013 surveyed site exhibits morel WWH attributes: non channelized or recovered stream, the presence of boulder/cobble/gravel substrates, extensive/moderate stream cover, locations of fast currents or eddies, and pool areas with a depth greater than 40 cm. Mill Creek at RM 6.99 contains qualities of influenced habitat altered by past channelization with low stream sinuosity and poor pool, rifle, run development, and heavy/moderate silt cover with high/moderate riffle embeddedness.   

The 2013 survey indicated water quality in the Andersons Run-Mill Creek HUC 12 has not recovered much from 1994 to lift sampling sites out of non-attainment of their designated WWH aquatic life use. Also, in non-attainment of its WWH aquatic life use designation is Cranberry Run, which was not surveyed in 1994. Table 11 lists the causes and sources of pollution in the Andersons Run-Mill Creek HUC 12.

Flow regime alterations and sedimentation and/or siltation from urban runoff is identified as the source of impairment in Cranberry Run and Andersons Run, respectively. Flow regime describes the pattern in which a stream reaches its high and low flow conditions. The natural flow regime of a stream influences its physical habit as well as aquatic life sustainability by the transporting and scouring of fine and coarse substrate materials (sediment, gravel, cobble), moving organic resources (i.e. detritus,) and woody debris, establishing backwaters under low flow conditions, promoting instream stabilization, and maintaining floodplain connectivity. Ohio EPA noted in their 2018 report Cranberry Run showed “evidence of flashy hydrology via an overly wide channel, eroded/slumping banks and embedded substrates” (120). All three characteristics are textbook results of urbanization and human interference with the natural flow regime. Impervious surfaces direct water away from natural absorption methods into storm drains. As a result, flooding frequency and intensity increases, stream banks erode, channels widen, and baseflows decline during dry spells.

 Sediment impairs aquatic life by altering the composition of streambed habitat. Riffles and other areas should be comprised of coarser material, instead these areas become embedded with fine sediment, reducing or eliminating the void spaces that provide cover to macroinvertebrates and fish as well as their eggs. Sediment itself is damaging to the aquatic ecosystem as it delivers pollutants such as phosphorus and causes abrasion to organisms.

Stormwater runoff from surrounding urban areas alters the temperature and flow regime of streams and contributes excessive sediment and nutrient loads. Runoff from impervious surfaces can be intercepted by green infrastructure such as infiltrative storm water control measures like bioretention and permeable pavement. Protection of existing wetland and riparian areas and utilization of green infrastructure in urbanized areas are recommended activities for this plan.

Eastgate and Mill Creek MetroParks Certified Credible Data Collectors performed a Level 3 Habitat study of streams in the Mill Creek Watershed. Seven locations from the assessment were in the Andersons Run HUC-12. QHEI scores were within range of those from the Ohio EPA’s 2013 survey. The final report can be viewed at the following link,  https://www.eastgatecog.org/environmental-planning/watershed-planning . Many of the scores mirror the Ohio EPA’s 2013 scores.

Mill Creek MetroParks Lake Newport Water Quality Monitoring

In June of 2015 Lake Newport experienced a rapid depletion of dissolved oxygen in its lake system, resulting in the occurrence of a fish kill. A myriad of factors played into this occurrence and included heavy rainfall, temperature, CSO discharge, and additional stormwater runoff from the urbanized watershed. The Mahoning County District Board of Health sampled the lake’s Coliform bacteria levels from July 2015 through the end of October 2015 and expanded the study to include tributaries to the lake. Results from the study indicated Coliform levels were highest immediately after a rain event but returned to normal levels 72- 96 hours afterwards. Mean levels were higher within the watershed rather than in the lake, indicating a watershed-wide contribution.

Collegiate Studies

Mill Creek and its watershed have been the center of studies and written about by many professors and graduate students from Youngstown State University (YSU) such as:

·        Impact of Land Use on Water Quality of Mill Creek Watershed in the Mahoning Valley, Ohio. May 2019. Prepared by Manasa Koirala.

·        Preliminary Stream Restoration Plan for Mill Creek, Yellow Creek, and Meander Creek Watersheds, November 2003. Prepared by Scott C. Martin, Ph. D., P.E.;

·        Wetland Mitigation Plan for Mill Creek. Yellow Creek, and Meander Creek Watersheds. Prepared by Dr. Scott C. Martin, Ph.D., P.E., Scott Airato, and Susheel Kolwalkar;

·        Application Techniques to Identify Wetland Mitigation and Stream Restoration Opportunities. August 2003. Prepared by Susheel R. Kolwalkar.

All four documents should be consulted to help areas in need of stream and/or wetland restoration for the Andersons Run HUC 12. All three plans identify specific areas where restoration and/or mitigation should take place based on their studies.

Long Term Control Plan

The City of Youngstown is currently implementing their Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan to reduce pollution from their combined sewer system. The plan is currently divided into multiple phases. Phase I includes upgrading the wastewater treatment plan to a capacity of 80 million gallons per day (MGD), construct a new 100 MGD wet weather treatment plant to capture the flow from 5 of Youngstown’s larger volume CSOs, and eliminate the CSOs draining into the waters of Mill Creek. Phase II identifies other large volume CSOs and designs storage for their flows and Phase III investigates potential green infrastructure projects to capture stormwater flows.  

Effective application of nonpoint source best management practices requires that these measures are properly planned, sited, and sized for implementation. An important aspect of the planning process is the identification of critical areas. Implementation of best management practices in critical areas is a key part of meeting targets set by NPS-IS plans or TMDLs, which ultimately lead to achieving water quality goals and objectives including the restoration and protection of degraded beneficial uses of waters of the US. Effective determination of critical areas supports targeted, cost-efficient implementation of practices and measures to meet water quality goals in the most efficient manner possible.

In the Andersons Run HUC-12, there are five sampling sites. Four are along Mill Creek; none of which are in attainment (N03W24, N03S16, N03S03, and N03S02). The fifth sampling site (N03S10) is in full attainment. One critical area was identified to address the primary nonpoint source pollution issues believed to be a cause of the impairment along these reaches.

• Critical Area 1: Cranberry Run Subwatershed

The overall goals of NPS-IS are to improve water quality by increasing IBI, MIwb, ICI, and QHEI scores in order to achieve or maintain the designated ALU attainment status. Cranberry Run subwatershed as it drains to ALU Station ID N03S16 was used for the goals of critical area #1.

Goals

Goals for Critical Area #1 are focused on the sampling location at Cranberry Run RM 0.10, where the critical area of Cranberry Run feeds into Mill Creek. Non-attainment in this critical area is due to poor IBI, scores. QHEI scores are above the wading target. Therefore, the goals for Critical Area #of the Cranberry Run watershed are to improve the IBI scores at Cranberry Run sampling station (RM 0.1) so that the site will improve from non-attainment to full attainment of the designated ALU. These goals are specifically to:

Objectives

To achieve the overall nonpoint source restoration goal of full attainment, the following objectives need to be achieved within Critical Area #1

Objective 1: Restore channelized, armored, and culverted stream by removing impairments and restoring streams and riparian areas using bioengineering design.

• Restore 12,000 or more linear feet of stream habitat along Cranberry Run and its tributaries

• Restore 24,000 or more linear feet of stream bank habitat

• Restore 50 or more acres of riparian floodplain with native plantings

• Remove or bypass 2 barriers to fish passage

• Daylight 1,000 linear feet of culverted stream.

Objective 2: Acquire available land for future restoration and preservation

• Acquire 40 acres of land within Critical Area #1 for future restoration and preservation

Objective 3: Reduce urban runoff from impervious and compacted surfaces through green infrastructure retrofits.

• Mitigate 50 acres of impervious surface runoff on residential and park properties

As these objectives are implemented, water quality monitoring (both project-related and regularly scheduled monitoring) will be conducted to determine progress toward meeting the identified goals (i.e., water quality standards). These objectives will be reevaluated and modified, as necessary. When reevaluating, the Ohio’s Nonpoint Source Management Plan Update (Ohio EPA 2013), which has a complete listing of all eligible NPS management strategies, will be used.

Projects and evaluations believed to be necessary to address the causes and sources of impairments to the Anderson Run – Mill Creek HUC 12 watershed are presented by critical area in this section. As Ohio assesses attainment using numeric biological criteria, periodic re-evaluation of biological condition will be necessary to determine if the implemented projects restore the critical areas.

Time is an important factor to consider when measuring project success and overall status. Biological systems in some cases can show response fairly quickly (e.g., one season); other systems may take longer (e.g., several seasons, years) to show recovery. There may also be reasons other than nonpoint source pollution for the impairment. Those issues will need to be addressed under different initiatives, authorities or programs which may or may not be accomplished by the same implementers addressing the nonpoint source pollution issues.

The Anderson Run – Mill Creek HUC 12 watershed initially has one identified critical area to address causes and sources of impairment. An overview table is presented for this critical area in the following subsections (4.1.1 and 4.2.1).

The information included is a condensed overview of all identified projects needed for nonpoint source restoration of the critical area. PSSs are included for short term projects or any project that is considering seeking funding in the near future. Only those projects with complete PSS will be considered for state and federal nonpoint source program funding.

The PSSs provided below were developed based on the actions or activities to restore the Cranberry Run RM 0.10 sampling station to attainment of the ALU designation. These projects are considered next step or priority/short term projects. Medium and long-term projects are not are not presented in PSSs since they are not yet ready for implementation. 

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